miRNA‑22‑3p inhibits cell viability and metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma by targeting FOXP1.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant tumor with a high incidence rate in certain regions. MicroRNA (miRNA/miR)-22-3p is implicated in the regulation of tumorigenesis and progression. However, the biological role of miRNA-22-3p in the progression of NPC remains unclear. The present study aimed to assess the effects of miRNA-22-3p overexpression on the cell viability and migration of NPC cells. The cell viability and migration of HK-1 cells was evaluated using Transwell, wound healing and Cell Counting Kit-8 assays. To assess the epithelial-mesenchymal transition ability of NPC cells, the expression of E-cadherin, vimentin and N-cadherin was evaluated using western blot analysis. The results revealed expression of miRNA-22-3p was significantly decreased in NPC tissues compared with para-cancerous tissues. Decreased expression of miRNA-22-3p was also observed in NPC cell lines (C666-1 and HK-1). The overexpression of miRNA-22-3p reduced HK-1 cell viability and migration. In addition, a dual luciferase reporter assay revealed that miRNA-22-3p functioned as a molecular sponge for forkhead box protein 1 (FOXP1). Notably, FOXP1 overexpression counteracted the suppressive effects induced by transfection with miRNA-22-3p mimic on HK-1 cell viability and migration. Therefore, these data indicate that miRNA-22-3p may be a clinically valuable biomarker for the therapy of NPC.